Thermal biofeedback treatment of mild hypertension. A comparison of effects on conventional and ambulatory blood pressure measures.
Office blood pressure checks alone can make biofeedback look more effective than it really is.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers gave 9 adults with mild high blood pressure a thermal biofeedback program.
They measured blood pressure in two ways: quick office checks and 24-hour wearable monitors.
The program lasted several weeks with daily practice sessions.
What they found
Office blood pressure looked great - 4 out of 9 people hit target numbers.
But the 24-hour monitors told a different story.
Only diastolic pressure dropped. Some people's systolic pressure actually went up.
The measurement method changed whether the treatment looked successful.
How this fits with other research
Robertson et al. (2013) also tested self-regulation - letting Alzheimer's patients control their own music. Both studies show small wins when people control their own interventions.
Moritz et al. (2011) tested another self-help technique for nail-biting. Like this study, they found modest improvements that might not impress in a clinic.
Howlin et al. (2006) found that celeration lines on graphs don't improve data analysis. Together these papers warn: simple measures can fool you.
Why it matters
Don't trust single office blood pressure readings to prove your biofeedback worked. Get 24-hour ambulatory data before celebrating success. This protects you from false positives and helps clients see real progress.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Several studies have produced results suggesting that thermal biofeedback treatment is effective in lowering the blood pressure (BP) of individuals with both mild and moderate essential hypertension. This study used thermal biofeedback to treat 9 unmedicated individuals with mild hypertension. Subjects underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring both prior to and following the thermal biofeedback treatment regimen. Four of the subjects were considered treatment successes using standard office blood pressure assessments as the success-fail criteria. However, 24-hour ambulatory BP measures showed a markedly different pattern of results, with several subjects who were considered successes under conventional assessment techniques showing an increase in 24-hour ambulatory BP from pre- to posttreatment. There was a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure for all subjects as measured by the ambulatory method. There was also a significant decrease in systolic and diastolic standing home blood pressure. The implications of these results are discussed.
Behavior modification, 1992 · doi:10.1177/01454455920163001